In December 2007 our Patty posted a poll that is (almost) identical to this one. I thought that a poll just ahead of TH:AUJ release would help establish a more current baseline should anyone post a similar poll after the movie's release.

For the purposes of this poll, "Book" could refer to The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings and "Movie" could refer to LOTR or that you are planning to see TH:AUJ before reading The Hobbit (if ever).

Essentially, was it the books or the movies that lead you to TORn?

Lurkers are encouraged to vote but you are under no obligation to respond with a post.

Though I only did so because I knew of Fellowship's imminent release. I actually wanted to read LOTR, but fortunately the school library didn't have FOTR at the time, so the librarian encouraged me to read The Hobbit instead. I'm very glad she did

I was in the fourth grade, and I finished the book in 10 days. I was very happy with that accomplishment

I'm a book firster but it was the movies who led me to TORn. If I wanted to talk books, 'TORn' wouldn't have popped into my head as the place to do it (and in fact, I was talking books at other forums).

I know we do talk books here.. but that's not what I came here to talk about.

So, you are kind of asking two different things.

Book or Movie Firster? --- Books

was it the books or the movies that lead you to TORn? --- Movies

edit to add: R-A's response led me to read your initial question a different way.

Do you want to know which we experienced first? Did we read the books before we watched the movies or did we watch the movies before we read the books?

Or do you want to know which we hold 'first' (or highest) in our affection and/or attention?

It is kind of confusing though, as you say... I'm kind of interested in whether people read the books first or saw (or plan to see) the movies first, but essentially I'm asking (as did Patty's original poll I think) "what lead you to TORn?"

ETA: Again, no value is implied over one state of familiarity or the other, though people might see themselves as book firsters, as a declaration of preference, even though they saw LOTR before reading The Hobbit for instance. Admittedly, like most polls here, this one is far from scientific

I voted other for I didn't know exactly what to choose so and I'll explain why:

I saw Peter Jackson's adaptations long before reading the books. But when I finally decided to read the books, I look on the web to see if there was communauties of Fans to discuss this common passion. I found TORn and an other one and so since then I come discussing from time to time a to get news and informations.

whatever it meant when Patty ran the same poll in 2007, that's what it means now

It's a little more complicated now since there are people here who have not seen the previous movies, nor the ones that are coming, nor have they read the books. There may even be some that are just here for the polls.

Can we scrap this one and start over? One that simply asks "Do you consider yourself to be a book firster or a movie firster?" and leaves the respondents to decipher for themselves what they mean?

And I'm glad I did read them before the films - not because it makes anyone less of a fan, but simply so I could create the world in my head first, before seeing the adaptations. That's important to me. So much so, that when I still read the books, I'm able to (semi) block out PJ's adaptations, and return to the way I see and imagine things.

It was movies first for LOTR, then Hobbit book, then LOTR book (which, by the way, led me here) and for obvious reasons the Hobbit movies will come last. However, one could say, that the book (LOTR, that is) was what really drew me into Tolkien's world. The movies are still nice to watch but in my opinion not at par with the book.

I thought they would *never* get around to making a live-action LotR. When I told my sister it was in the works, she sighed and said, "Well, I'd better start living right, so I can survive to see them all." I had something of the same feeling :-D

That said, it was the movies that led me to TORn, as I started looking around for info on the upcoming movies.

I'm glad I saw FotR and TTT before I read the book. The Tolkien books are my favourite books ever, but the movies are such an integral, deep part of my teenage and my growing up experience nothing gladly took anything of them from me. They're my first love, cherished beyond all criticism and objectiveness.

I am perfectly able of being critcal of the PJ movies, but that doesn't change my passionate love for them. I'm also critical of my parents, but that doesn't mean you'd be allowed to even look at them in a way I don't like. Grrr.

As the old story goes, in short: RotK was coming to theaters, all the hype was dying (which was odd) and so I got The Hobbit for Christmas that year, and didn't see the trilogy until after I'd read them (and I've only ever seen FotR in its theatrical state, mind you).

I read TH as a child, and after a few attempts at LotR, my brain finally developed enough to get the whole way through it. Then the movies came out, and I wanted to see what other Tolkien fans thought of it, so I discovered this place and just read the forums for quite a few years before finally joining :) and I'm so glad I did, even if I can't post as much as I'd like to due to other commitments.